For this electricity lesson, students examine series circuits and parallel circuits as they watch video clips regarding each of them and then examine both is use. Introduce concepts of conductors, insulators and resistance. There is also a free online circuit lesson from brainpop. Lesson background and concepts for teachers parallel circuits. Materials list, advance preparation instructions, lab hints and tips, safety tips, rubric, worksheets, and answer key are provided. Class discussions, demonstrations and handson laboratory activities enable students to discover. Elementary and middle school electric circuit science lesson whats more fun than making stuff work.
This is a good starting activity because students develop their own understanding of how parallel and series circuits appear. Comparing series and parallel circuits students use a battery holder, a dcell battery, a mini light socket, and a miniature lamp to build series and parallel circuits. See more ideas about series and parallel circuits, science electricity and 4th grade science. Students use materials to make a light bulb work and record their.
The way multiple leds are connected in figure 11 is called a parallel circuit. At other nodes specifically the threeway junction between r 2, r 3, and r 4 the main blue current splits into two different ones. This is because there is only one path for electrons to flow in a series circuit, and because free electrons flow through conductors a device is connected in a manner such that there is only one pathway by which charge can transverse the external circuits. The ancient greeks first noted the phenomenon of grass seeds sticking to amber fossilized tree sap after the amber was rubbed with animal fur. Students can determine if everyday objects are conductors or insulators, and experiment with series and parallel circuits in lifelike or schematic views. Lesson focus demonstrate and discuss simple circuits and the differences between parallel and serial circuit design and functions.
Page series and parallel circuits 1 of 8 developed by ieee as part of tryengineering. I begin by displaying the circuit a and b diagram on the board. Its part of a huge library of lessons that span grades k12 and every school subject. Check out this lesson from a classroom teacher who uses common sense education. In this lesson plan, adaptable for grades 612, students use an interactive simulation called circuit construction kit. This lab uses the simulation and lab equipment both. Students will take this knowledge and build circuits from directions included in the kit and build a circuit of their own design. They identify which is which and provide justification for their choices. The engineering design of integrated circuits combines thousands to millions of parallel and series circuits working together. Third graders create a series circuit by putting together 2 light bulbs, a battery, and some wire. Dc sim and familiarize themselves with the controls and features. Voltage is the force that causes current to flow in a circuit 5.
It provides a handson introduction to simple circuits, then progresses to analysis of parallel. Dc to construct series and parallel circuits and qualitatively explore their characteristics. Parallel circuits worksheet ks2 science teacher made. Students will be able to recreate circuits of various functionalities such as shining a light bulb, spinning a motor, or both. Wherevis voltage, measured in volts v, iis current, measured in amperes a, andris electrical resistance, measured in ohms. Lesson plan series and parallel circuits electrical resistance. Background information on electrical circuits the nature of electricity has baffled scientists for millennia and was only really understood in the last 200 years.
This lab gives students handson experiences creating and testing circuits. Seriesparallel circuits seriesparallel circuits can be more complex as in this case. Series and parallel circuits worksheet maker kids series work lamp free lesson plans worksheets for kids physics custom design names. Lesson plan series and parallel electric circuits grade 11.
Find series and parallel circuits lesson plans and teaching resources. Providing students with handson practice with circuits is essential to help them understand the difference between series and parallel electrical pathways. Series and parallel circuits provided by tryengineering. Series and parallel circuits lesson plan template and teaching resources. Create a bread board series and parallel electrical circuit. I ask students to copy the diagrams into their series and parallel circuits lab worksheet and to make predictions about the longevity and brightness of each circuit. Lesson plan of types of electric circuits parallel. I then provide time for the students to construct each circuit and to record their observations on their lab worksheet. Lesson plans in this series are aligned to one or more of the following sets of standards. Find parallel and series circuits lesson plans and teaching resources. In this circuits lesson plan, 6th graders research circuits online with virtual examples and complete handson activities. A complete circuit can be constructed in more than one way using the same materials. This module for grades 59 asks students to apply knowledge of electric circuits in designing a system where one switch can turn on multiple lights. Using squishy circuits to learn about electrical circuits.
This lesson provides students opportunities for learning to construct and test simple series and parallel circuits. Adding bulbs to a series circuit increases the resistance. Series and parallel circuits lesson plan for 4th 6th. In this workshop, students will use snap circuits to learn the function and role of resistors, capacitors, transistors, motors, and circuits. Parallel circuits are set up so that the current has an independent path to take through each piece. Elementary and middle school electric circuit science lesson. Series and parallel circuits worksheet 50 series and parallel circuits worksheet, 46 parallel circuits worksheet series parallel circuit. Two components are in series if they share a common node and if the same. Demonstrate and discuss simple circuits and the differences between parallel and serial circuit design and functions. Dc, students explore basic electricity relationships. Notice that in some nodes like between r 1 and r 2 the current is the same going in as at is coming out.
Common core state standards texas essential knowledge and skills teks virginia standards of learning sol bc performance standards. Students begin the handout with a picture of a series circuit and a parallel circuit. For this circuits lesson, 5th graders study a powerpoint of christmas lights to introduce themselves about circuits. Cut out guided notes for both series and parallel circuits key included venn diagram with cut outs for comparing series and parallel circuits key included wo. They will identify the differences between parallel and series circuits. This lesson plan is designed for classroom use only, with supervision by a teacher familiar with electrical and electronic concepts. Lesson plan series and parallel circuits electrical. In this lesson, your students will explore electrical circuits and engage in a handson activity to create them. Ohms law and kirchoffs current and voltage laws provide the basis of design. These circuit lessons for elementary and middle school students are fun to make. A parallel circuit and its corresponding circuit diagram are shown in figure 2. In this series circuit lesson plan, 3rd graders also draw a line connecting the appropriate components on a diagram. Series and parallel circuits teachercreated lesson plan common sense education. There is another way to connect more than one led called a series circuit.
Plan your 60minute lesson in resistance or circuits electricity with helpful tips from. The bulb in series circuit is a source of resistance. In circuit b we have resistors r 1 and r 2 combined to get. Sixth graders research series and parallel circuits using the given website. Series and parallel circuit experiments for lesson plans. The electronics kit includes batteries, resistors, bulbs, switches, voltmeter, and ammeters. Different types of electric circuits show different behaviors parallel and simple circuits. In addition, they learn to use such circuits to modify the voltage and current available from batteries. This series and parallel circuits worksheet for ks2 will save you time when teaching circuits by providing you with a teachermade pair of tasks that will test childrens knowledge of circuits and their components by identifying where to put the relevant batteries, motors and switches in a series and parallel sequence. In lesson four, students know how to create a series circuit and a parallel, now they will create a seriesparallel all in one circuit with a switch. This is lesson four making a basic parallelseries circuit of creating basic bread circuits this is a hands on project. Students compare a set up of series and parallel bulbs, make predictions about how the circuit will function, record results, and discuss the circuits as a group. Weve included printable pdf worksheets for electricity and lesson plans for teachers from pbs and duke energy.
With handy illustrations depicting the key elements, this series and. Have students draw a diagram of a series and parallel circuit using a a table like this one. An introduction on how to teach the basics of parallel and series circuits, including how to do a simple lab on the difference between parallel and series circuits for light bulbs. A complete lesson aimed at ks3 classes on series and parallel circuits. Building upon the discovery of ohms law in simple circuit building as well as concepts of simple dc circuits potato batteries, students progress to build progressively more complex series circuits and continue to record results in an effort to again discover what happens to circuit characteristics when a circuit is made parallel instead of series. Instruct students to open the circuit construction kit. Lesson synopsis the series and parallel circuits activity.
This series and parallel circuits lesson plan is suitable for 4th 6th grade. Since there is more than one path for charge to flow as it moves through the circuit, the current is divided between the two bulbs. Series and parallel circuits lesson teaching resources. Modelling circuits that are parallel or series, goes after a modelling lesson on circuits which is also on tes modelling circuits that are parallel or series, goes after a modelling lesson on circuits which is also on tes. Now have students construct a simple circuit with a batteries, light bulb, and voltage sources.
Series and parallel circuits provided by ieee as part of tryengineering. Parallel circuits the parallel circuits toolkit provides teachers with standardsbased resources for designing lesson plans and units that pertain to such topics as equivalent resistance, electric potential difference, and current for the various devices wired into a parallel circuit. Before lesson begins, follow the directions below to make conductive and insulating dough. The resulting central processing units cpus have become essential in modern vehicles, video games, smoke detectors, dvd players, garagedoor openers, cordless phones, clocks and calculatorsuseful devices and. Plan your 60minute lesson in science or electricity with helpful tips from meredith gannon.
Thats the key difference between series and parallel series circuits defined. Series circuits the current through series component is equal is that the amount of current is the same through any component in the circuit. Fourth grade lesson series and parallel circuits betterlesson. In a series circuit, the parts of the circuit are in a row, one after the other so current flows through them. Electricity, circuits, electron, battery, conductor, energy, chemical, electrical, light, series, parallel.
Series and parallel circuits 6th grade lesson plan template and teaching resources. If one bulb burns out in a series circuit, it becomes an open circuit. Students perform experiments using two different types of circuit arrangements. Series and parallel circuits product can be used as guided notes and classworkhomeworkquiz. Electrical circuit activities make a circuit diagram. Included in this zip file is a powerpoint for use with the students. People build different kinds of circuits to meet human needs.
1164 841 179 333 694 758 1023 92 1154 22 44 983 579 1317 869 715 377 1440 561 471 898 844 1197 495 1383 172 258 152 802 273 446 981 276 509 283 1241 141 1158 1493